Celebrate 30 Years of Love and Rockets with Gilbert & Jaime Hernandez at Fantagraphics Bookstore on Saturday, December 8!

When Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez created the first issue of Love and Rockets three decades ago, they foreshadowed the diverse American society we enjoy today. Their work wasn’t overtly political. They simply reflected their cultural environment. In doing so, they profoundly influenced popular culture on a global scale. Celebrate the illustrious legacy of these amazing artists on Saturday, December 8 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. This festive evening of art, comix, and music marks the 6th anniversary of Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery .

The Love and Rockets comic book series helped lay the foundation for the alternative comix movement. Brothers Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez combined elements of their Southern California punk counterculture with accessible pop motifs, breathing new life into the moribund underground comix form. Their work found a receptive audience among the adventurous youth culture of the period. The Hernandez brothers’ efforts soon came to the attention fledgling comic book publisher Fantagraphics Books, helping launch that storied enterprise. The relationship remains strong 30 years later, as Fantagraphics and Love and Rockets help shape the rising influence of alternative comix. The Love and Rockets franchise has grown to include countless comix collections and continues as an annual edition that complements the solo projects of the sibling artists.

The festivities on Saturday, December 8 include an exhibition of Love and Rockets art and artifacts chosen by Fantagraphics editorial associate Kristy Valenti and bookstore curator Larry Reid. A signed commemorative silkscreen print will be produced for the occasion. Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez will be available to sign a wide variety of comix, anthologies, and related merchandise. Accomplished cartoonist, visual artist and musician Geneviève Castrée will provide entertainment with her music project Ô Paon – helping us celebrate 30 years of Love and Rockets as well as six wonderful years of Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery. This event coincides with a lively holiday edition of the Georgetown Art Attack, featuring visual and performing arts presentations throughout the historic neighborhood, including wandering carolers from Choir of the Sound.

Listing Information:

30 Years of Love and Rockets with Gilbert and Jaime HernandezExhibition and book signing, with music by Ô PaonSaturday, December 8, 6:00 to 9:00 PMFantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery1201 S. Vale Street, Seattle. 206.658.0110Open daily 11:30 to 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00 PM